Responding to the National Crisis in Writing: An Efficacy Study of an Elementary Grades Writing Program

Writers’ Express (WEX) is a year-long writing program for students in grades 3-12 and is supported through professional development for teachers and school administrators. EDC is conducting a research study to determine whether the program is effective for students in elementary schools.

In this study:

• 70 Massachusetts schools will be randomly selected to either implement the WEX program or use the usual grade 4 writing instruction.
• EDC will evaluate the WEX curriculum, materials, instructional practices, and embedded professional development.

The results of this research will provide information about effective instructional practices and the types of professional development needed in order for teachers and administrators to implement and support writing programs in elementary schools.